World War II brought out the best in many Americans, and may be the pivotal conflict of the 20th century. Many of us are familiar with the battles that freed western Europe.

Now you can read about the details of these events from an unexpected source: Hugh Nibley. What can you expect from this book?

Read the review.

As a disclaimer, I have to reveal that I am a fan of WWII history. As such, I can’t offer a perspective for those of you that are not history buffs.

Like great WWII books like Band of Brothers, this book Sergeant Nibley PhD gives firsthand accounts of D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge and German liberation - only in this case its brought to you by LDS scholar Hugh Nibley.

Sergeant Nibley was there - and as a firsthand witness to some of the most important battles of the war provides a very interesting perspective of what went on. His perspective is not only that of a devote member of the Church. It’s also packed with nuances only a Berkly educated linguisticgenius could capture.

Nibley offers all kinds of unique insights - from the fact that the toughest soldiers were the easiest to crack under interrogation to the difficulties of surviving a glider landing in enemy territory. There are LDS reflections as well, as the young Sergeant ties in teachings of the Restored Gospel.

Journal entries from the author are peppered with quotes from historical figures of the day, including Stephen Ambrose and Winston Churchill. There are photos and insets too. But with all this, Nibley’s commentary is the most interesting thing you’ll find in the book.

If you’re looking for an LDS perspective on the war, you’ll get that. But you’ll also get the observations of a liberal arts student attached to anelite intelligence group that saw both the front line and behind the scenes orchestration of war. The book is no Saints at War retelling - it’s a collection of real-time reflections recorded as it was lived.

I really enjoyed the book. If you appreciate Word War II history and are a member of the Church you will enjoy all three hundred plus pages of this book. The reading level is not what you might fear from the author, and the historical backdropintriguing.

Pick it up at Deseret Book or Amazon!